The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-12-14
Teaching Children to b, Ussial-Ars Boys
More Difficult to Guide than Girls?
The Value Of Lessons in Early Lifs-Dutiss
Fitted for Boys and Girls.
Out Door Sports and PIeasures-ChiIdren
in Contact With the worid-wise
Words For Parents.
(Copyrighted. 1879

write, / cannot suggest anything better
than that mothers should teach their chill
dren to be useful, and begin the lessons
early-from the first step out of babyhood.
| Parents would more readily accept this
suggestion if they would give it an
| honest examination. Unfortunately, ex-
cept among the poor, whose poverty COM
pels them to practice it, this is doctrine
that receives of late but little attention,
and is in great danger of becoming obso-
lete. Mothers-who must be chishy re-
| sponsible-scout at the idea. The excuse
is advanced that usefulness with girls is
| possible, but that to teach boys to be of
service is an absurd and hopeless task. 1t
is said that boys are troublesome, restless,
| and awkward, and more given over to mis-
| chief and play than work. We are asked:
would you have us teach boys as they
grow older, to run on errands, up stairs
| and down, at the risk of overturning every
thing with which they came in contact?
| Would you try to teach them how to dust
a room, to help set the table, etc?"
Certainly! Why not2 Is any mother
willing to believe that they cannot teach
to boys what can be taught to girls? Sure.
ly each one, boy or girl, can be very early
taught to be useful, and can be 50 gently
and skilfully guided that they will find it
all las good as play" to be able to help
| their mother and Others, indoors and out,
and with such teaching they learn to help
| themselves.
In cities, and in families depending on
hired help, it may not be so easy. Chill
dren are too initiative to be with servants
where work is being done, unless the
mother is with them. for what they learn
OF practical nature should be taught by
her, and not caught up by seeing servants
DO it. Wealth Is Dy no means to be de-
spised, and the rest and ease it may bring
4 y,lo - l., A.
| from all care or responsibility, so that the
mother finds no necessity, Tor, indeed, .op-
| portunity, to teach her little ones the FIRST
/ steps toward useful habit which thew
may sorely need IN laterarsye, then it
ceases to be q blessing and becomes a
| curse.
Many who begin life poor and reach
wealth through years of hard labor forget
how much of true, solid pleasure there
was, after all in this successful struggle
for well-earned prosperity. AS the neces-
sity for close application relaxes, aud they
| begin to feel the enervating effects of
abundance they forget all the pleasure,
and, remembering Only the hardships,
shrink from teaching their children what
seems like work, and thus cheat them of
the strength and independence for which
no wealth can compensate.
But if boys are taught to do girls work,
should not girls be made to reciprocate the
favor and take their turns il doing boys
work? What mother would like to see
her girls do this2 But why not? Who
can object to it? Certainly not the girls
themselves. Isn't it Just what many
young ladies are seeking 10 do now, and
many young men-"children of larger
! growth" striving 10 PREVENT IL not uu-
naturally biased by fashion or conven.
tionalities, it would be difficult to find
any who would not gladly do the many
little .hiDgs they can do with their
brothers, and in the free air and glad sun
shine do their work.
Whatever is proper for boys to do, many
girls often think ''such fun" il they can
occasionally share with them. We refer
now to country girls. God help those girls
whose home is in the city, and, although
but just stepping out OF babyhood, have
been taught that work OF any kind must
be necessarily lacking in style and refine
mentl How few, then, are the real pleas
ures the young can find in the open air
Nothing that they are allowed to have can
equal the eDjoyments which our country
damsels, with their larger inheritance and
more abundant real blessings possess, and
notnlng is more pleasant 70 them than any
outdoor enjoyment suited to their age and
Intelligence,
put u Is .rgued that such work mus
4
G~ sh. Trough, noisy boys are paC
enough; would you have our girls become
= like them?"
is II the outdoor work that makes then
so? Is 1t not rather the overflow of ANNA
: spirits, more energetic and dominant IL
boys than in girls, perhaps that finds NJ
escape but by boisterous and noisy actions
Tins may not be agreeable to the old ant
s slaid, but is certainly less annoying out
doors than in the house. 1t promote
health, and is only what we all did, o
: wanted to do, in our young days. Let on
: American boys and girls have full swing
4 So far as Al all consistent; age will soor
tame the Wild spirits, or restrain to-
exuberant overflow, but nothing will keel
them SO within bounds as pleasant laoo
4 some parts of each day.
J. Children are, to be sure, liable to com
1 in contact with coarse, rude mattress
neither boys nor girls.should be exposed =
such inhusnoe IL it can be prevented
d but that evil is found everywhere; q
often in the house as In the field; we mus
90 out of this world to insure safety fron
such contact. II not inherent in child
: own nature, the influence tending towar
q evil will not gain strong foothold, tn
d dross will be thrown of, and the pure
nature rise uniDjured.
1t has also been argued against this tina
' country girls are seldom ladylike or gcaci
= full, and that laboring with their brother
e will make them still less so.
q If this objection is valid, then the brott
!, ers must be separated from the sisters, TO
~ il being with them outdoors has such IN
furious effects. the same element will 10
y low them into the house. But we thin
). this is Q false conclusion. We have foun
us lsdy.like, intelligent, pure-minded glrl
y in the country as in the city, and oite
far superior. 1t is quite noticeable far
?. that those who live nearest the city, 9
N often visit the city, too often acquire art
- fical Naturalization, coquetry, lou
d speech, and fondness for dress, whic
ID tempts them beyond their income. IN
is seldom seen in genuine country LII
We do not believe any kind OF labor, III
a der any conditions, will make girl lie
l. modest or lady-like, We emphaticall
a. believe that every girl should know how
do with her own hands everything she hi
strength TO do. until she thoroughly cor
De prehends and understands 1t. Then 81
b. secures and establishes q vigor and capaci
for many duties utterly unlike, TO be sur
any that Il now appears at all likely 81
will ever be called upon to perform, b.
- which, by some unforeseen change In d
a. circumstances, may fall to her lot In aft
IN years.
n We do not mean that boys work shou
L. be the habitual employment Tor girls al